Cool relief will soon arrive in Southwest Florida
What a relief – weather forecast is for a 10 degree drop in temperatures by Monday morning. Are we ready? I think so!
There will also be several days in a row without any rainfall. There will be sun however, so watch out for the cool drying change and treat gardening appropriately.
I am always amazed at how much our tropical horticulture can tolerate the hot searing sun, frying winds, monsoon rains and then settle in for a nice cool dry spell.
Yes, for newcomers here, there will eventually be some actual cold days, weeks away from now. You should keep a few sweaters around and socks and even a pair of gloves for those early morning cold steering wheels.
Mother Nature can be just as fickle in the winter as she is in the summer.
I was pleased to spend a day last week with a visiting horticulturist and judge from Pensacola, Tina Tuttle. She was in Fort Myers to teach a class on, of course, horticulture.
She had a free day during a three-day course, which featured both floral design and horticulture, sponsored by the Fort Myers/Lee County Garden Council and the Gardens of the World Garden Club. Participants studied floral design principals, a bit of horticulture and testing in their pursuit of becoming floral design judges, or to just further their education in design rules for floral arraigning and floral competitions.
Floral designers, of course, need flowers, leaves, berries and all manner of horticulture for design work. Like, you cannot bake bread without flour. I am not going into the white flour hassle vs. gluten protein here, but that is an interesting topic.
Anyway, Tina and her sister Gina travel all over for weeks doing seminars that enrich designers and gardeners alike in their thirst for firsthand knowledge in their choice of design and gardening perfection.
We visited the Berne Davis Botanical Gardens on Virginia Avenue, next door to the Edison Ford Estate. She was in awe of the many selections, especially bromeliads, which are beautiful plants, and easy to care for – and cannot be grown successfully in the Pensacola area. Too cold.
Loved the Mina Edison Moon Garden.
When you divide Florida into three sections, you have north, central and south.
Pensacola being way north and around the panhandle bend. There are several other climate classifications but these three are enough for now.
You wear earmuffs on a Pensacola beach walk in winter. I know, I have been there, done that.
She also loved the many coleus she saw in both places. I am sure most of you have one or two of those easy care and colorful plants. She was amazed at several huge staghorn ferns we viewed, hanging from big oaks, in a sturdy nest of steel chains.
We did a quick drive-through the main drag of Fort Myers, to see the “Old City,” which did not take long. Like everyone in the world, she loved the sturdy line of queen palms along McGregor and private yards along the river.
When we were done, we both agreed it had been a splendid day.
Now does that type of day remind you that there are plenty of places around this area to take those pesky visitors who will be coming down here to sunny Florida from the cold North?
You probably have lots of things in your own garden that are new to northerners. Neighbors may have bigger and better gardens that they would love to show off.
Get busy and start planning to have a nice winter garden that will compliment your summer plantings. A little cold weather now will not hurt most orchids.
It is time to start some herbs and veggies.
Of course, if you really cannot take care of a lot of garden, do some pots. Remember to place them where you want them to be before you fill them up with a lot of soil.
Try raised gardening beds.You still have to remember right plant right spot.
Mosquitoes are still out there, I have 5 large bumps to prove that. Shame on me to be walking around in public gardens without any mosquito protection.
The market is full of things to plant, get busy. Farmers markets are great places to find healthy plants as well as foods. A good way to spend a Friday or Saturday morning.
Happy gardening till we meet again.
H.I. Jean Shields is Past President of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.